2009 Maybach 62 Review

Maybach 62 - What the Auto Press Says

The 2009 Maybach 62 ranks 3 out of 4 Exotic Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 14 published reviews and test drives of the Maybach 62, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The Maybach 62 is one of the world's most opulent cars -- as fast as an exotic sports car, with a more spacious cabin than a Rolls Royce Phantom, and, increasingly, with similar prestige. Choosing one chauffeur-driven, hand-built sedan over another is largely a matter of taste. Those interested in driving themselves, however, should consider theMaybach 57.

Maybach insists that one does not "buy" a Maybach, but rather "commissions" one. The company hand-builds each Maybach to the specifications of each buyer.  

A tremendous range of features are available, including luxuries like an electrotransparent partition screen between the driver and the rear occupants, a panoramic glass roof that goes from opaque to transparent at the touch of a button, and an armor plating package. But if a buyer is interested in an item the company does not yet build, Maybach will design it to order.

Mercedes-Benz resurrected the long-dead Maybach name in 2001, attaching the moniker to a small number of ultra-exclusive sedans sold through selected Mercedes-Benz dealerships. The Maybach sedans have changed little since that time. Criticism of Maybach products has centered around two themes. The first was that the brand itself lacked luxury cachet. However, the Maybach has been gaining familiarity and esteem ever since. In the 2008 edition of the Luxury Brand Status Index, individuals with a net worth of more than $5 million ranked the Maybach brand ahead of Rolls Royce and Bentley for automotive prestige.

The second was that Maybach products shared too many parts and attributes with the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, on which the Maybach cars are based. That critique is applied more often to the smaller Maybach 57.  A full foot longer than even a Rolls Royce Phantom, the Maybach 62 is rarely compared to the S-Class.

This car is available as the Maybach 62, or the more powerful 62 S. A 62 S Landaulet version is also offered -- a re-creation of a type of automobile rarely seen since before the second world war, the Landaulet features a retractable soft top that covers only the rear seats, while the driver's compartment remains completely enclosed. For 2009, a limited run of Maybach 62 Zeppelin is available, featuring unique paint and trim combinations and the right to add a perfume diffuser, a $5,000 option not available on the standard 62 (although, if you commissioned one, we're betting they wouldn't turn you down).

A longer-wheelbase Maybach 62 is reviewed separately.  

• "This car, 20 feet long, 3 tons, 550 turbocharged horsepower, is designed for high-speed, low-altitude, intra-nodal transit. It is essentially a four-wheeled corporate jet. To say the Maybach 62 is a special piece of machinery is like saying Rita Hayworth was somewhat photogenic. There is no car like it. Had we flown commercially, we probably would have saved two hours, but in my opinion those two hours were much better spent in the Maybach." -- Los Angeles Times


• "The Maybach, with its understated lines and cool exterior styling, wants to whoosh by in a mysterious, barely perceptible blur. The Phantom, bold and powerful, lives for attention, right down to its hubcaps." -- New York Times


• "Outrageous? Absolutely. Amazing? Totally. Have I ever driven anything like it? Never, nor am I likely to. Was it a very special experience? Without a shadow of a doubt." -- The Auto Channel


• "The 62 S was designed to be the most passenger-friendly of all passenger cars, so its extreme performance is purposely muted by sheets of acoustic insulation, intricately molded seals and layers of sound-deadening film, both in the front and rear windscreens and the specially laminated side glass." -- Edmunds


• "From back here, with legs raised comfortably, air conditioning set just so, a magnetic custom-made champagne flute tucked in the rear center arm rest, an enormous TV screen and a 600-watt Bose sound system, really, what's not to want?" -- AutoWeek

62 Performance - 9.5 (Excellent)

The Maybach 62 is available with either of two V12 engines sourced from Mercedes' AMG division. The 543 horsepower version that powers the Maybach 62 moves the nearly three-ton car with ease. The 604 horsepower, twin-turbo version found in the 62S gives the car a zero-to-sixty time similar to that of many exotic sports cars. In any form, however, the car is as ponderous as its length and weight suggest. Read More

62 Exterior - NA

The sheetmetal of the 2009 Maybach 62 is a stretched-wheelbase version of the Maybach 57, which bears a distinct resemblance to that of the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The car's presence is intimidating, longer than anything Rolls Royce or Bentley currently produce. Read More

62 Interior - 9.5 (Excellent)

"For all its size and cost, the Maybach 62 is a two-passenger car," writes the Los Angeles Times, "Well, two passengers who count." The rear cabin of the Maybach 62, where the vehicle's owner generally rides, is among the most opulent in automotive history. It includes more than 100 separate pieces of exotic wood trim, and a pair of fully adjustable seats modeled on those found in private jets. The feature list is nearly exhaustive -- and if a buyer wants an item Maybach does not yet offer, the company will build it to the buyer's specifications.Read More

62 Safety - NA

No Maybach product has ever been crash tested by the federal government or insurance industry. It includes nearly every modern safety amenity as standard equipment, and boasts a braking system that impresses reviewers. Read More

62 Reliability - NA

Maybach owners are provided with an unlimited-mileage warranty. Each owner is assigned to a Personal Liaison Manager, who represents only a small number of owners, and acts as a concierge to oversee maintenance, service and repair needs.